Google+ Hangouts are proving to be a proficient platform for
teaching and communicating in real time with others. If you're
someone who creates instructional content online, you may want to
consider using the platform for your next project.

Below, how to record your hangouts for future viewing, how one
user used the platform to create a helpline, and how one foodie
turned it into a real time, interactive cooking school.

Record Google+ Hangouts

If you want to share your Google+ hangouts, the first thing you
need to do is figure out a good way to record them. Instructor
+Jeff Lebow uses Google+
hangouts to host a weekly "EduMOOCast" to discuss the state of
education and online learning.

In this video, +Jeff Lebow shows you how he
streams and records Google+ hangouts, and he's also provided
an excellent how-to article with
screenshots detailing the steps. You can stream Google+ hangouts
to webcasting services like Ustream.tv or Justin.tv.
You will need a few software programs for screen capture and
recording, but most of them are free or relatively inexpensive.

Start a Help Line

+Jared Polin, of FroKnowsPhoto (check out the 'fro!), is a
talented photographer who uses the web to share tutorials and
tips on his craft. While using Google+, he decided to use the
hangout feature as a help line of sorts.

At the beginning, he established a few ground rules to make the
experience run more smoothly. Participants were asked to
introduce themselves, and they were also asked to mute their
audio when someone else was speaking, so as not to interrupt the
flow of the hangout.

Be Your Own Classroom

Foodie +Lee Allison didn't know what he
created when he decided to start his own G+ Cooking School with Google+ hangouts. His idea
was to turn making dinner—normally a boring chore—into a social
event. As you can see, his recipes aren't your run-of-the-mill
burgers and fries, but gourmet fare like handmade margherita
pizzas and ice cream. In this hangout, there's a guest appearance
by Google+ music star +Daria Musk. Musk became web-famous
after hosting the very first Google+ hangout concert.